The Red Sea International Film Festival will welcome legendary Egyptian filmmaker Khairy Beshara to Jeddahfor a masterclass, which will take place on Monday 14 December at Muvi, Mall of Arabia, Jeddah.

Beshara will share his professional experiences reshaping the Arab film industry over four decades in amasterclass moderated by Antoine Khalife, head of the Festival’s Arab Film Program. The conversation willdraw on Beshara’s innovative and inimitable filmmaking to consider:

“Renewing cinema through plots, story andperformances.”Masterclass attendees will also have the bonus of attending a book signing for a new biography on Beshara,The Rebel, written by film critic Mohammed Sayed Abdulraheem, that places Beshara at the centre of Arabcinema and features never-before-seen archival images.The masterclass and book launch will kick-start a three-day retrospective of Beshara’s acclaimed films that willtake place across Saudi Arabia in Dharan, Jeddah and Riyadh from 14-16 December.

The retrospective willfeature never-before-seen 4K versions of five of his most adored films that have been lovingly restored by theRed Sea Foundation. The celebration also marks the first time that these classic works of Arab cinema willscreen in cinemas in the Kingdom.Looking ahead to the masterclass, book launch and retrospective screenings, Beshara commented, “It’sinteresting to me, and perhaps to you, to recall and reflect on 57 years of my life in cinema and beyond.”

Born in 1947 in Tanta, Egypt, Beshara grew up in Cairo and began making short films and documentaries inthe 1970s, garnering him the title “Star of Documentary Cinema. In the 1980s, Beshara became a leadingfigure of the Egytpian “Neo-Realist” movement. He worked on films alongside many well-known writers such asAbdel Rahman el-Abnudi for The Collar and the Bracelet (1986) and Fayiz Ghaly for Sweet Day, Bitter Day(1988), and collaborated with film stars such as Ahmed Zaki, Sherihan and Faten Hamama. In the 1990s hewould gain further acclaim for instigating folk fantasy films into Arab cinema and was one of the first Arabdirectors to venture into digital filmmaking.

Retrospective – Five classics by Beshara in three citiesMuvi Theatres in Dhahran, Jeddah, and Riyadh will screen five classic Beshara films restored by the Red SeaFilm Festival Foundation in 4K. The screenings are the first cinematic presentations of Beshara’s work in SaudiArabia.

The retrospective will commence with one of the most iconic films in Egyptian cinema history, The Collar andthe Bracelet (1986), a searing dramatic thriller, acclaimed for its unflinching social commentary and poetic style.

Screening in Jeddah on Monday 14 December.Bitter Day, Sweet Day (1988) is a portrait of Egyptian society reshaped by the forces of globalization, throughthe story of widow Aisha, her five children, and a manipulative and controlling son-in-law. A moving look atpoverty and drastic social change on an individual’s values and ambitions. Screening in Riyadh and Dhahranon Tuesday 15 December.Ice Cream in Gleam (1992) is a film of hope against the odds, staring the legendary Amr Diab as Saif. Workingin a video rental store, Saif dreams of another life, making his name in music.

But fate seems to have otherplans – he’s fired and lands in jail. There, he meets and forms a trio with a songwriter and infamous musician,discovering his aspirations still reach the hardest of places. Screening in Dhahran, Jeddah, and Riyadh onTuesday 15 December.Set in 1973, Abracadabra America (1993) follows a hapless group as they flee Egypt after the October War,attempting to emigrate to America. Arriving at their first stop on the Hungarian border, they discover they’vebeen conned. To survive, they must learn to overcome their differences.

Screening in Dhahran and Riyadh onMonday 14 December; Jeddah on Tuesday 15 December.A remarkable film shot entirely on the busy streets of downtown Cairo, Traffic Light (1995) is a glimpse ofmid-90s Egyptian society, reeling from the changes of globalization.

At a stop sign, on hold for a passing VIP, agroup finds themselves at emotional and social ‘crossroads’ – a love story blossoms, a baby is due, and a manis on fire. Screening in Dhahran, Jeddah, and Riyadh on Wednesday 16 December.

Please find below the full schedule for film screenings and locations.